If it wasn’t already obvious by the Spain manager greeted both his side’s World Cup win and Euro 2012 triumph with the merest of smiles beneath his trademark moustache, then Michael Laudrup underlined it when he recently spoke of his only game under the caretaker charge of del Bosque at Real Madrid.

The Swansea manager described of beating Athletic Bilbao 5-0 at the San Mames and being applauded off by the Basque fans before del Bosque greeted his team in the dressing room.

“We were all celebrating; he said it should have been seven,” recalled the former hero of the Bernabeu of the 1996 game.

So quite whether the recently-crowned Fifa coach of the year will have been enthralled by the nuts and bolts of a Goodison goalless draw is rather doubtful.

Indeed, in the cold winter wind of Merseyside, there was little of Swansea’s La Liga-like style that shone through for the well-wrapped 62-year-old to warm to.

The player most believe he had come to see did show one flash of confidence-driven class that, had Tim Howard not tipped onto the bar, would have seen Michu adding another million or so onto his supposed transfer value.

Yet, as Laudrup put it, this day was never about Swansea’s top scorer. It was about the other side of the game, the steel to support the style.

And there were a couple of characters who certainly showed there is a toughness behind – or even instead of – tiki-taka when Swansea require it.

“If del Bosque had called me before the match I could have told him this was probably not the best game to see Michu,” said Laudrup.

“But maybe if he needs someone at the back, he might have seen something here.”

Although he left 10 minutes before Swansea secured another very decent point by stopping Everton from scoring for the first time since September 1, del Bosque’s notebook should have carried the name of Chico Flores and a scribble of frustration that Ashley Williams’ parentage is more Valleys than Valencia.

Because the pair were formidable here, whether through positioning or powerful heading away of the crosses that kept coming as Everton were largely refused entry into the final third.

Stats: How Ashley Williams and Chico have performed this season

Everton and manager David Moyes might well have wondered what had happened to the Swansea side that look so ramshackle in defence when they blew away their Liberty hosts earlier this season.

But since then Williams and Chico have flourished as a two, the latter answering deserving questions of his reliability and temperament.

The Spaniard still has a tendency for the unorthodox, but he appears to have realised having the trust of a team-mate is more influential and impressive than a scissor-kick clearance.

There were moments of classy defending from them both here as the interceptions piled up, the constant calmness on the ball wowed, and the diving headers found their targets while Marouane Fellaini found only frustration.

It would be fair to say Everton have bullied Swansea since their reintroduction to the top flight with Fellaini the tormentor in chief. Furthermore, the Toffees game of hard working and high pressing seemed to stop Swansea being able to play their A game.

With a Plan B now in the Swans’ away-day armoury, Everton received a taste of their own medicine as the visitors looked to negate host strengths first and foremost.

And while another to have popped up on the radar of La Roja, Angel Rangel, may have carried a slight air of frustration about him post-game that del Bosque was not there to witness his true style as a forward-thinking full-back, he can take great satisfaction how he and Dwight Tiendalli nullified the left-sided threat of Leighton Baines and Steven Pienaar.

It meant that, while there were chances for Everton, they were those from balls into the box as a red wall stood firm on the edge of the area.

And when the cross did cause problems, like when Victor Anichebe was first to a Fellaini header, there was Vorm with the save, there was Williams with the clearance.

There was also a welcome sign that Swansea have become a little cynical as they grow older in the Premier League, Vorm picking up a booking for time wasting as Swansea appeared to settle for a very hard-earned point.

And they are also growing wiser, Williams shoving Pienaar out of the way at one corner to ensure he did not get caught by the South African’s blocking run for Fellaini.

Laudrup’s hope was that such stubbornness at the back could have seen them sneak one through a pacy counter.

Yet his experiment to utilise Nathan Dyer’s pace through the middle did not work and Pablo Hernandez had the vision but not the execution to make sure the side were as clinical as they were against Chelsea.

The best opening came when Ki played in Michu for that delightful shot that was heading over Howard before the American’s fingers edged it onto the bar with 36 minutes gone.

And the few probes of wing work in the first half subsided after the break as Everton pushed but remained wary to the counter. The sacrificing of Leon Britton for a bit more muscle may have worked defensively, but Swansea did lack that control to make more of their possession as a result.

They were their own worst enemies at time losing the ball as they made defenders work harder than they needed to, something that will definitely not bring rewards every time.

Nevertheless, in a case of needs must, Swansea made their way to the 30-point mark a month ahead of when they managed it last term.

And whether it was appreciated by del Bosque or not, it was impressive all the same.